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At one point, hundreds of protesters burst through the police lines and ran down Victoria Street, cheering and waving flags.

Dozens of police officers gave chase down the road as the marchers darted through central London.

As they ran, protesters chanted: "What do we want? Free education. When do we want it? Now."

Addressing the crowds, shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused the Government of "betraying" students.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also threw his support behind the protesters by demanding the abolition of tuition fees in a statement read out at the rally.

Mr McDonnell was greeted with cheers as he climbed up a small platform to address the students through a megaphone.

He said: "Your generation has been betrayed by this Government in increases to tuition fees, in scrapping the education maintenance allowance and cuts in education.

Thousands of angry university students have gathered in the capital to voice their frustrations

"Education is a gift from one generation to another, it is not a commodity to be bought and sold.

"For generations now, one generation has handed the baton to the next, they have tried to ensure that the next generation has a better quality of life than the last.

"This Government is betraying you and future generations. You need to oppose it and I'm here in solidarity with that opposition."

Rampaging rioters have taken over the city streets at the same time strikes grind transport links to a halt.

The Tory Government plan to raise tuition fees and slash support for disabled students.

Students grants, available to undergraduates from low income families, will also be replaced by loans in a shake-up of education funding.

At present, full-time UK students from families with annual household incomes of £25,000 or less qualify for maintenance grants of £3,387 a year.

Under the changes, which come into force in the next academic year, these grants will be replaced by loans which students would start paying back when they earn more than £21,000 a year.

Critics say this will put the poorest students off attending university.

Police were forced to make several arrests after violent scenes broke out in a similar rally last year.

PA

There were scuffles between police officers and a number of demonstrators

But cops will also be expected to keep the carnage under control elsewhere in London again today, as mystery organisers only known as Anonymous introduce the "world's biggest ever global protest" to the capital to coincide with Guy Fawkes Night.

Anonymous campaign on a number of issues, including internet snooping despite claiming responsibility for a string of high profile hack attacks.

But today's march is shrouded in mystery and the Met says it has no idea what the objective of the protest is.

Promotional flyers suggest protests will centre around the fate of its unofficial idol and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, with calls to "free Robin Hood".

PA

Up to 10,000 young people will march through the city streets in protest

Senior police have issued a plea for the group's leader to make contact in a bid to prevent repeats of violent scenes last year.

Chief Superintendent Mills warned: "This Thursday will be a busy night in London. People have the right to go home from work, shop, visit theatres and landmarks without the fear of being harassed or caught up in violence."

And if officers aren't stretched enough, fears are growing that rioters are planning to cause chaos at another illegal rave tonight.

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People wearing hoodies and balaclavas protest in the capital

There are fears of repeats of the violent clashes between ravers and police that happened in the early hours of Sunday in Lambeth, after the force blocked access to an illegal event being held in a disused building near the South Bank.

Skum Tek, which organises the illegal raves and has previously promoted Anonymous and the Occupy movement on its Facebook page, had also planned a rave on the night of November 5 at an undisclosed location in the capital.

A flyer, which was doing the rounds on Facebook called it the: "Scumpowder N Reason Lost the Plot featuring a picture of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators with Guy Fawkes head replaced as a skull and cross bones with a Scum ten logo on the forehead.

Students protest turns into a riot

Wed, November 4, 2015

Students demonstration against tuition fees and an end to student debt in Westminster has gotten out of hand with Police ketteling protesters and the speculation that activists have infiltrated the march

Students during a protest calling for the abolition of tuition fees and an end to student debt in Westminster, London

No venue was listed, but it was reportedly due to start at 8pm.

It is not clear if it is still planned following the havoc wreaked when hundreds of would be attendees and police clashed in the streets on Sunday as PETROL BOMBS and bricks were thrown.

The threat of violence comes as parts of the capital are already crippled by the striking Docklands Light Railway (DLR) workers.

Central London was today brought to a standstill as chaos caused by DLR staff rumbled on.

Huge queues formed at railway stations across the capital including outside London Bridge and Canary Wharf station as thousands of extra commuters scrambled to catch alternative services to get to work.